Kindred: The Embraced: The Nightstalker
"The Nightstalker" is the third episode of the Fox Network television series Kindred: The Embraced. Directed by John Harrison, this is the one unaired episode of the series. In this episode, a neophyte Gangrel named Starkweather comes to San Francisco. Cash tries to help him adjust to life as a Kindred, but Starkweather takes to it only too well, using his newfound powers to his own ends, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Also, Daedalus falls in love with a lounge singer and resorts to alchemy in the hopes of changing his visage so that he might court her. Synopsis At The Haven, a performer named Elaine Robb entertains the patrons with a bluesy rendition of "House of the Rising Sun". Nearly all of the Kindred Primogen are present, including Daedalus, though his distinctive appearance forces him to keep to the shadows. Daedalus is nonetheless entranced by the young woman and her lyrics stir his emotions. The other Kindred meanwhile take note of a newcomer at the bar. They instantly recognize him as a vampire and Julian Luna sends Cash over to greet him. Cash sees the dried wounds on the man's neck and knows that he has only recently been embraced. Cash addresses the man and learns that his name is Starkweather. Starkweather is not adjusting well to his sudden life alteration and is filled with bitterness and rage. Cash tries to keep him calm, but Starkweather snaps and begins turning over tables and smashing glasses. Cash and he begin fighting, but within minutes, police officers swarm the bar and take the two into custody. Elaine retreats to the dressing room to evade the hysteria. At her table, she finds a note that reads "I am Sorry for your pain." The salutation is from "A friend". Elaine leaves the room and Daedalus appears inside it a few moments later. He pulls a hair from her brush and smells it. Meanwhile, Cash and Starkweather have been remanded to the care of the Suncrest psychiatric hospital. Cash asks him how he came to be a vampire. Starkweather tells him that he was a patient at another facility when a woman appeared before him, cut his chest open with her fingernail and drank his blood. The next thing he remembered was waking up with blood on his face - not his own. The woman was nowhere to be found. Cash gives him a crash course in how to survive as a vampire, but mostly, he stresses the importance of keeping their existence a secret from humans. He knows that Starkweather needs to feed and he allows him to drink the blood from an orderly that enters the observation room. In the courtyard of Luna's estate, Julian confers with Archon Raine. He tells him the situation with Cash and Starkweather. He is worried that the situation might escalate and that the Masquerade is once again in danger of being exposed. Sasha walks out and overhears them talking about Cash. Julian emphasizes the point that she wants her to stay clear of Cash. Sasha doesn't understand why and asks him if Cash and he are truly the "monsters" that others claim them to be. Julian dodges the question and prepares to go to Suncrest. At the hospital, Cash and Starkweather are placed into separate rooms. A doctor comes in to speak with Starkweather who tells him a brief bit about his childhood. Unable to resist the bloodlust any longer, he brutally murders the physician, paints the words "Blood Brothers" on the wall and escapes through the window. Julian arrives to get Cash out of the hospital just as Starkweather makes his escape. The observation room door is opened and they find the doctor's body, drained of blood, and Starkweather's message smeared across the wall. The murder is reported in and Frank Kohanek and Sonny Toussaint arrive to investigate. Reporter Caitlin Byrne also arrives. The Kindred Primogen meet up at Julian's mansion for an important meeting. Sonny is present and Lillie expresses her concerns about Frank's persistent interference in their affairs. If the human authorities find Starkweather they will learn that he is a vampire. Julian declares a blood hunt on Starkweather and tells the others that they must find him first. He instructs Cash to gather his fellow Gangrel to search for him. Starkweather meanwhile travels to the home of his father. He finds him in the garage cleaning a gun. Seeing the monstrous countenance in his son's eyes, the man spins around with his rifle. Starkweather catches the weapon then kills him. As the evening wears on, Julian prepares a candlelit dinner in his courtyard. Caitlin arrives and the two spend an intimate moment getting to know one another some more. Caitlin is nervous, claiming that one side of her wants to turn away from Julian, while the other side wants to reciprocate his affection. Julian is not the only vampire in the mood for love this evening. Daedalus appears inside the bedroom of Elaine Robb. He remains hidden within the shadows and watches as Elaine comes upon a necklace he left for her on her night stand. He speaks softly to her and Elaine is startled. She tries to find out who is in her room, but Daedalus refuses to show his face. She threatens to call the police, but he uses his mental abilities to calm her down. He continues to whisper to her, telling her that he wants to watch over her. Elaine recognizes that Daedalus has a kind soul, but still he refuses to let her see him. Elaine turns around, but Daedalus disappears. The following day, Frank and Sonny show up at the garage of Starkweather's latest victim. They find the man's body locked inside a trunk with multiple stab wounds. The words "Blood Brothers" are smeared across the outside of the garage in blood. Caitlin begins investigating the Starkweather murders. Her research turns up photographs of at least seven different victims that are now attributed to him. She shows them to Julian and expresses her disgust. She realizes that Julian is keeping secrets from her, and informs him that he doesn't need to keep everything bottled up for the sake of protecting her. Meanwhile, Daedalus is in his lair preparing an alchemical formula. He wants to make something that will change his image so that he can approach Elaine comfortably. The formula fails and he smashes the vial onto the floor. Lillie comes in and offers him words of encouragement. At the Nighthawks Diner, Frank meets with Julian. Julian offers his assistance in hunting down Starkweather, but Frank scoffs at him, claiming that the department has "about a thousand cops" looking for him. Julian thinks he is being foolish for not accepting his aid and asks if he could live with himself if Starkweather managed to kill even more people because he refused his aid. That evening, Daedalus pays a visit to Elaine Robb's apartment. He managed to get his alchemy formula to work and he appears before her with a full head of hair and normal features. He expresses his lament over the pain and loneliness that she had endured in her life and shows that he too is a creature of pain. The two kiss and spend the evening together. The following morning however, the formula used to make Daedalus appear human wears off and he resumes his normal, vampiric appearance. Elaine sees him and screams in horror. Daedalus turns and leaps through the window of her apartment building. She rushes to the window, but there is no sign of him. Elaine reports the incident to police as well as Caitlin Byrne. After hearing her description of the man, Caitlin theorizes aloud that this being might also be the "Nightstalker" killer. The true killer, Starkweather, is standing in the crowd and overhears her. He is greatly offended that somebody else is being credited for his work. That night, Elaine arranges for a police escort to take her back to the club. Daedalus watches from the shadows nearby. Starkweather arrives, disguised as a police officer and offers to give her a ride. Daedalus returns to his cellar and Julian shows him a newspaper with Starkweather's photograph on it. He identifies him as the man seen outside Elaine's apartment. Julian calls Frank and tells him that Starkweather has taken Elaine to the Haven. At the club, Elaine goes into the back to collect her sheet music, leaving Starkweather standing around near the bandstand. Frank Kohanek enters the room armed with his phosphorous rifle. Starkweather knows he's been made and easily disarms Frank. He then ties several amplifier cords around his neck and begins to hang him. Julian Luna enters the club just as Starkweather turns Frank's own weapon on him. He pushes Frank out of the way of the blast and tells Starkweather that he has violated Kindred law. Before the renegade vampire can take further action, Julian beheads him with a large, curved blade. Frank agrees to omit Luna's name from the official report on the incident. Later, Julian has dinner with Caitlin. She tells him that Starkweather had been killed and Julian feigns surprise. Caitlin sees that he is lying and accuses him of already knowing about Starkweather's death. Julian lies and says he heard the report from his various contacts. "Good news travels fast", he tells her. Caitlin doesn't completely trust Julian, but cannot deny that she is falling in love with him. They complete their evening with a passionate kiss. Cast Regular Cast Guest Stars Notes & Trivia * This episode is available on the Kindred: The Embraced - The Complete Series DVD collection released on August 21st, 2001. * Production code number: 3795-003. * This is the first horror genre work for Robert M. Williams, Jr., who is a first assistant director on this episode. This is his only work on Kindred: The Embraced. Robert will eventually go on to become a producer on the TV series American Horror Story: Freak Show. * Brian Thompson is credited as special guest star in this episode, but does not make an actual appearance. * The song that Elaine Robb is singing in the beginning of the episode is "House of the Rising Sun", originally recorded by The Animals in 1964. * The name "Starkweather" is likely taken from Charles Starkweather, a spree killer active in the United States from 1957-1958. * Sonny Toussaint gave Frank Kohanek the phosphorous rifle to defend himself against vampires in "Prince of the City". Quotes See also External Links * * * * * ---- Category:1996 television episodes Category:James Ingersoll